What are White Claw Hard Seltzers? – White Claw is arguably somewhat of a pioneer of the hard seltzer industry, being one of the first brands to establish itself as a household name in the U.S and beyond. Since launching in America in 2016, White Claw has experienced an absolutely staggering amount of growth – it has the largest market share of any hard seltzer brand, and saw a 246.7% increase in sales from 2019 to 2020 in the U.S alone! These days, you can find White Claw in the U.K, Canada, Ireland and Australia.
- White Claw is owned by Mark Anthony Brands International, which is also responsible for producing other innovative alcoholic drinks such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Cayman Jack and MXD Cocktails.
- Production and distribution sites tasked with keeping up with the growing demand for White Claw can be found in Glendale, Arizona, New Jersey and Columbia.
But do White Claw Hard Seltzers live up to the hype? We think they absolutely do! They have a light, crisp and clean taste, providing a guaranteed hit of refreshing fruitiness, no matter what flavour you choose. There is also no unpleasant aftertaste that sometimes accompanies similar types of drinks.
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Is hard seltzer beer or wine?
Gluten-Free – Unlike a traditional mixed drink that combines soda water with a spirit like gin or vodka, hard seltzer is just that: seltzer with alcohol. Spiked seltzer is typically made with fermented cane sugars. In contrast, beer or spirits such as whiskey are made with fermented grains.
- This means that hard seltzer tends to have a lower alcohol content.
- And since it’s not made with grains, it’s gluten-free.
- For individuals who are gluten-intolerant or have celiac disease, this makes hard seltzer an appealing choice.
- Of course, consumers need to be careful of the “health halo” effect.
- Even though hard seltzer is refreshing, it’s still an alcoholic beverage.
Just because it may be a low-calorie choice doesn’t mean you should drink it in excess. And when you’re enjoying a spiked seltzer out at your favorite restaurant or bar, always have a designated driver to ensure you and your loved ones get home safely.
Is hard seltzer a type of beer?
Beer has been around for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until 1993 that the first hard seltzer was introduced. Hard seltzer sits somewhere in the middle between beer and traditional cocktails, and while it wasn’t too well-received originally, hard seltzers have skyrocketed in popularity over the past several years since the pandemic.
These two alcoholic beverages are similar in their creation, but there are many differences between the two. The true difference between the two beverages comes down to what is being fermented. Both beer and hard seltzer are brewed and fermented from a sugar source that when paired with yeast creates alcohol.
This process means hard seltzer somewhat surprisingly falls into the beer category as a “flavored malt beverage,” rather than into a pre-mix category. However, hard seltzer is made from fermenting cane sugar or sugar with water, whereas beer uses malted grains as the primary source of sugar.
- Beer begins with malted grains like barley or wheat, which are mashed into hot water to extract the sugars resulting in a substance known as wort.
- Afterward, this liquid is boiled, hops are usually added, and then cooled.
- Finally, brewers transfer the brew to fermentation tanks and add yeast.
- The seltzer brewing process starts with fermenting pure sugar sources such as cane sugar, agave syrup, glucose, liquid invert sugar or honey in water.
The high-quality and viable strains of yeasts are used to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Next, the fermented alcohol is filtered thoroughly to get a colorless, odorless and flavorless alcohol base which acts like a blank canvas for the addition of natural or artificial flavoring agents.
Afterward, this liquid goes through a carbonation process. With beer, there are aromatic notes of herbs, spices and tropical fruits from hops paired with malty, toasty and sweet aroma from malts. The type and quantity of malts, hops and yeasts are responsible for the overall flavor profile of a beer, which can range from sweet, balanced, malty and hoppy to clean and crisp.
Hard seltzer typically tastes like sparkling soda with subtle alcoholic content and a fruity flavor. One of the main selling points for hard seltzer is the low-carbohydrate and low-calorie profile of about 100 calories per can, whereas most beers is 150 calories or more.
Does White Claw have more alcohol than wine?
Bang for your Buzz – I’m going for the jugular. Spiked seltzers are not that low cal. While the big, boxed, “100 calorie” on the front of the can is alluring, wine has roughly 2.5x the alcohol of White Claw and Truly (5% ABV for spiked seltzer vs.11-15% ABV for wine).
Here’s the true comparison of the “single drink” equivalent of wine vs. spiked seltzer. Wine vs. White Claw Calories: A standard hard seltzer: 100 calories for 12 oz.2 grams carbs / sugars. A standard glass of white wine: 120 calories for 5 oz.4 g carbs, Wine Spectator ) Wine vs. White Claw Alcohol Content: A standard hard seltzer: 5% ABV A standard glass of white wine: 11 – 15% ABV So yes, ~20 more calories per “drink” for wine, with comparable carbs and sugar.20 calories is less than your average carrot.
So eat one less chip and have a gorgeous glass of wine. Wine’s got “bang for your buzz.” And while the point of drinking isn’t the ease to getting boozed up, I’m willing to bet that’s what the claw crew is after. On average, “tastes like nothing” spiked seltzer drinkers consume 2.8 cans per sitting, 
Is White Claw making vodka and canned vodka sodas?
What’s Really Behind White Claw’s New Vodka? A Canned Cocktail Play White Claw, the popular brand, has officially entered the space. In March 2023, the Mark Anthony Group of Companies, which owns White Claw, announced a vodka line that includes a “premium” variety and a trio of fruited versions.
Playing into its waved logo, is “Triple Wave Filtered—named for the use of immense pressure equal to three 30-foot waves—which has the same smoothing effect on vodka that ocean waves have on stones and shells,” reads a press release. “And it is filtered through activated carbon from charred coconut shells.
Each bottle of White Claw Premium Vodka is carefully bottled in and embossed with the White Claw logo.” This month, the producer also announced the arrival of, a “new 100-calorie canned cocktail made with the same White Claw Premium Vodka, because better vodka makes for a better vodka + soda.
Varieties include White Claw Vodka + Soda Pineapple, Peach, Wild Cherry, and Watermelon.” How did we get here, and what’s behind the move? To understand the hard seltzer-to-vodka-to-canned-cocktail pipeline, one must first understand the current hard seltzer landscape. Consider summertime at the Jersey Shore, a remarkable place to gain insights into the drinking habits of consumers.
Up and down the strips of sand, swimmers and ocean worshippers flagrantly disregard the law and crack open bottles and cans of their preferred adult beverage to add relaxation to their relaxation. Back in the days when smoking wasn’t frowned upon, it was common to see silver bullets of Coors or shiny blue cans of Bud Light.
Then a shift occurred a few years ago when in 2016,, the hard seltzer produced by Boston Beer, the maker of Samuel Adams, began popping up. Easy drinking, tinted with fruit flavors and 5% ABV, hard seltzers came onto the scene like a wrecking ball. Viewed as a “better for you” alternative thanks to its clear and fizzy nature, a disrupter category was born.
By the next summer,, complete with its memes and lifestyle, was dotting the shore. Both Truly and White Claw, the latter of which is now the best-selling hard seltzer, fall into the Flavored Malt Beverage (FMB) category, meaning its alcohol content is derived from fermenting sugar or grain, not from a neutral spirit like vodka.
From the start it seems that the clear spirit and hard seltzer were destined for each other, as many drinkers would add a shot (or two) of that booze into their seltzer for a higher kick. Soon enough, which began life as a vodka brand, was turned into a juiced hard seltzer and boomed in popularity. Now, the trend would appear to be getting rid of the water and bubbles altogether and just going for the vodka.
This is space with which Truly is already familiar. “We released Truly Flavored Vodka in March 2022 with three varieties inspired by popular Truly styles: Strawberry Lemonade, Wild Berry, and Pineapple Mango,” wrote company spokeswoman Brittany Zahoruiko in an email.
“This premium, triple-distilled vodka is produced and distributed in partnership with the world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory.” was also released last year. White Claw, in calling its new vodka soda offering a canned cocktail, appears to be taking aim at the ready-to-drink (RTD) category, which is surging in popularity.
Recent sales data from Evercore ISI in early March revealed that “traditional” hard seltzers sales were down 16.9% in 2023 compared to 2022. Meanwhile, selected other RTDs were up 33.5% in the same period. Why? Pre-mixed and canned rum and cola, margaritas, bay breezes and more are offering up familiar flavors, from known producers and at alcohol-by-volume contents that are consistent with what would be served at a bar.
